Aslan's Scores (of the non-lady kind)

[Amyers]

I'd have fun bowling if I always bowled over a 600 series and had at least one 700 series every month.


Agreed. But as we've discussed many, many times before...void of preconceptions...there is little an average bowler can do to adequately 'prepare' for a day/evening/night of bowling. 10-15 minutes of warm-up...with even just 4 bowlers on a pair means you get maybe 3-5 shots per lane in practice. Subtract a couple shots per lane based on "warming up/getting your footing"...thats 1-3 shots per lane. No preconceptions, no plan...just 1-3 shots on each lane.

What if the ball isn't making the turn? Did you start with your strongest ball? Are you playing the right line? Hard to say...but what IS certain...is you have at MOST 2 shots per lane left to figure it out. And bowling is almost ALL about preconceptions. If you think I'M bad...what if we did a poll and asked how many bowlers bring 1-2 balls to league night, have played at the same house for 10+ years, the same line 10+ years, and keep expecting their average to increase despite never doing anything to improve it other than show up to league each week?

Manke thinks I'm over-thinking things (and he is SO not the only one...definitely NOT the only one). Many bowlers have shared Manke's criticism. Why do I need 4 bowling balls? Why do I practice? Why do I take lessons? Why do I keep track of my progress/statistics? Maybe you AND manke are correct. Maybe just keeping things simple...one ball, pick a random target based on a best guess from 1-3 practice shots...and just have fun. Maybe I can even learn how to make the ball spin really, really fast...throw a 6lb house ball thumbless. Hell, maybe I'll try 2-handed? God forbid.


Well, thats 'sort of' true...by design even...but not 100% accurate. This gets down to a very interesting discussion I know you've addressed on Modern Bowling and BTM...and something we've talked about here quite a bit.

On one hand...3-4 balls that are all very, very different in every way...would give you a great selection of balls to choose from...and this would probably be ideal for a person in a sport league, travel league or a tournament player.

On the other hand, > 90% of bowlers bowl almost all of their games in the same house on a THS. Having 3-4 balls that are very, very different...in this scenario...would lead to having no less than 3 balls that are completely useless.

But, in fairness, RobM is correct. My arsenal selection purposely chose 3 balls that would have very similar characteristics concerning cover material (pearls), RG (2.49), and surface (4000-polished). This was done intentionally to better isolate some of the variables I'm interested in comparing, such as;
- manufacturer differences (Radical vs. Rotogrip vs. Ebonite)
- technology differences (New Reax, Recent Defiant Edge, Older Innovate)
- Differential Differences (0.054, 0.052, 0.041)
- PerfectScale validity (224.8, 216.47, 189.9)

My first two arsenals were based on cover stock and surface preparation. These two are widely believed to be the most important factors in ball movement. However, I was intrigued by Rob's articles on using RG as a primary factor in arsenal selection so I've dabbled with RG as well. My current arsenal intentionally kept surface and RG constant (for the most part) so I could focus on those other 4 factors.

And before Amyers shows up to remind us (again) of this...YES...as a scientist....I realize the most effective way to study things (using the scientific method) is to limit the variables so that everything (except the one thing you're testing) is constant. Yet, as I've repeated numerous times...changing only one variable would be impractical given the multiple variables in bowling ball specifications. In other words, until Brunswick hires me and gives me an unlimited supply of bowling balls to work with...concessions must be made.

Thus far...even though it's still early...only 1-2 months in...I'm starting to think differential is more important than previously thought and I still stand by PerfectScale as a fairly reliable number when comparing multiple brands. Jury is still out on manufacturer differences and technology differences. The pre-mature retirement of the Defiant Edge kinda threw a monkey wrench (not the ball) into the whole experiment.

Some findings that "don't make sense" regarding the 3 arsenals and the cover and RG criterium:

Arsenal #1: The Bullet Train. This ball was a hybrid and had a 2.55 RG. Yet...the S79 cover seemed to make it hook earlier than the solids and earlier than the lower RG balls.

Arsenal #2: The Dark Encounter wasn't nearly as strong as it's specs indicated. It seemed like there was some truth to the manufacturer differences as the Lethal Revolver was noticeably more reactive than the Dark Encounter. The Melee Jab and Loaded Revolver were also very strong with good movement...both Brunswick.

Remember, I'm the one that bought two identical Encounters in order to test the effects of drilling layouts on ultimate ball movement. So...while I try to perfect my arsenal selection...I have to try and 'test' theories. But, I also want to have arsenals that are useful and can help me score well...so it's a fine line.

Ok since you already mentioned it I won't get into the scientific method stuff. We talked about this Arsenal a lot and I argued there were more differences between these balls than you even thought but Rob has a real point here too.

As an arsenal for a three game series on league night it works. It offeres different shot shapes and a small step down in the Innovate. It wouldn't be anything I would pick but for that express purpose it should work. As a tournament Arsenal where your bowling multiple shifts on the same oil its woefully inadequate. I mentioned this when we were talking about this Arsenal too. The balls are too close together to offer enough step downs especially for you who loses his mind if he's got to move 3 boards left.

If I wanted to keep my spot as long as possible I'd add two balls to your current arsenal. Probably a Brunswick Fanatic and a Rhino or their equal from another line

[RobLV1]

I admire the fact that you want to see the differences between balls by doing your "experiments," but if you want to score, you CAN'T be doing them during leagues and tournaments. Taking three balls with low rig's that are virtually identical, differentials that are pretty close, and surfaces that are similar may show you tiny differences, but do it in practice, not when it counts. At least not if you want to be able to quit complaining when you can't figure out how to play the burn.

Another story: last Saturday, I bowled three games before coaching the Junior Gold kids. The first game I used the Brunswick Fanatic BTU (non-aggressive urethane-like cover - 3000 ab. surface, rg 2.60, diff. 0.030) and shot 220. For the second game, I used a Radical Ridiculous (rg. 2.54, diff. 0.050, 3000 ab. surface), and shot 140. For the third game, I used the Storm Code Black (rg. 2.50, diff. 0.058, OOB finish 1500 + polish) and shot 200. The Fanatic and the Ridiculous are drilled the same, the Code Black drilled with a longer pin and the MB drilled out to tone it down.

So, the next morning I was back at the same center bowling dollar pot games with some friends. I tried the Fanatic: nothing. I tried the Code Black: worked on one side, over/under on the other side. I tried the Ridiculous on the side where the Code Black didn't work and had a great look. What changed from Saturday to Sunday? Three things: the weather changed (humidity increase), different bowlers were bowling with me, and we were on a different pair of lanes. By the last of six games, I was playing inside the third arrow with a polished Storm Fight (rg 2.62, diff. 0.043). I shot 220 clean to win the game.

My point is that despite the fact that things had changed drastically from one day to the next at the same center, I was able to find something for the simple reason that I had an arsenal with me that covered a huge spectrum of possible lane conditions: an aggressive ball polished to compensate for my lower ball speed, a medium ball with some surface to read the oil, an aggressive ball in terms of cover material with a high rg and and polish, and a very non-aggressive ball with a high rg and some surface for a smooth reaction.

Do your experiments on your own time and take what you learn with you when the lights come on, or, you can just keep doing what you're doing and complain when conditions are less than perfect; your choice!

[Aslan]

The balls are too close together to offer enough step downs especially for you who loses his mind if he's got to move 3 boards left.

If I wanted to keep my spot as long as possible I'd add two balls to your current arsenal. Probably a Brunswick Fanatic and a Rhino or their equal from another line

Agreed. If I were to bowl travel leagues or become a "real" tournament bowler...I would probably need to expand my arsenal from 3 balls to 5 balls...needing something hybrid/solid to start with if conditions are very long/wide/heavy volume...and something rather weak for shorter patterns, drier patterns, extreme burnt conditions, etc... Given those conditions never exist during league play at the house I bowl 87% my games...figured there was no sense to that.

Another story: last Saturday, I bowled three games before coaching the Junior Gold kids. The first game I used the Brunswick Fanatic BTU (non-aggressive urethane-like cover - 3000 ab. surface, rg 2.60, diff. 0.030) and shot 220. For the second game, I used a Radical Ridiculous (rg. 2.54, diff. 0.050, 3000 ab. surface), and shot 140. For the third game, I used the Storm Code Black (rg. 2.50, diff. 0.058, OOB finish 1500 + polish) and shot 200. The Fanatic and the Ridiculous are drilled the same, the Code Black drilled with a longer pin and the MB drilled out to tone it down.

Without seeing the shots, I'd say switching to the Rediculous made no sense. You were shooting a 220...the lanes started to transition....maybe your shot was weakening...yet you balled UP to a ball that would hook far sooner and far more than the ball you started with. My question about that story...is why did you switch balls when you did? What did you see/not see?

So, the next morning I was back at the same center bowling dollar pot games with some friends. I tried the Fanatic: nothing. I tried the Code Black: worked on one side, over/under on the other side. I tried the Ridiculous on the side where the Code Black didn't work and had a great look. What changed from Saturday to Sunday? Three things: the weather changed (humidity increase), different bowlers were bowling with me, and we were on a different pair of lanes. By the last of six games, I was playing inside the third arrow with a polished Storm Fight (rg 2.62, diff. 0.043). I shot 220 clean to win the game.

It seems like the moral of that story is...there's no possible way to ever even have a slim idea what the lanes are going to present...so you just gotta hope that with 4-6 balls and 3 games to work with...you can shoot a 510 series with one game in the 220s.

Lots to think about. What's overwhelming is, for each of these lengthy discussions about this theory or that theory about ball motion and ball dynamics...there are probably 3-4 physical things I need to fix. Bowling always seemed so simple...just rolling a ball at little wooden pins. Then you attempt to get "better" and you learn that there are about 40 different things you need to improve and to go from beginner to a consistently good bowler takes about 2-3 years minimum. Ughh!!

[RobLV1]

Without seeing the shots, I'd say switching to the Rediculous made no sense. You were shooting a 220...the lanes started to transition....maybe your shot was weakening...yet you balled UP to a ball that would hook far sooner and far more than the ball you started with. My question about that story...is why did you switch balls when you did? What did you see/not see?

It seems like the moral of that story is...there's no possible way to ever even have a slim idea what the lanes are going to present...so you just gotta hope that with 4-6 balls and 3 games to work with...you can shoot a 510 series with one game in the 220s.

I'm afraid that you totally missed the point of my story. I bowled three games with three different balls in PRACTICE to learn as much as I can about the differences between them. You are right that there is no way to anticipate what the lanes are going to give you which is exactly why you have to see what you have, have a balanced arsenal that can address virtually any condition, and learn to adjust fast!

[RobLV1]

Since posting this, I had another thought, though it may be hard for you to hear. It occurs to me that you are looking at two things; cover material and layout that can't be changed (once the ball is drilled, it is drilled unless you are going to plug it and try something different). The two things that can be changed; the surface (easily adjusted) and the core (you know everything that there is to know about the core before you CHOOSE a ball), you choose to ignore. Why? You take lessons from Mark and Missy as well as from me and heaven only knows how many others, and yet you can't figure out how to bowl on the burn. Are you really that afraid of learning to make lateral moves, or are you that afraid of being successful at bowling?

I realize that this is harsh, but I've known you for a long time now, and for the life of me I cannot understand why you are so intent on doing everything you can not to improve. Rant over. Sorry!

[Aslan]

Since posting this, I had another thought, though it may be hard for you to hear. It occurs to me that you are looking at two things; cover material and layout that can't be changed (once the ball is drilled, it is drilled unless you are going to plug it and try something different). The two things that can be changed; the surface (easily adjusted) and the core (you know everything that there is to know about the core before you CHOOSE a ball), you choose to ignore.

I'm not sure I understand what you mean. The core is certainly taken into account both in RG and differential. I chose cores with identical RG values so that would be a constant. The differentials (pre-drill) are quite different between the Innovate and the other two balls. The layout to me is a very minor thing I don't pay too much attention to....I leave that to the coach or ball driller.

As to surface and cover material...my earlier trials with surface manipulation have led me to try and leave that alone as much as I can. I think sanding balls down and adding a bunch of surface is rather pointless on a house shot unless the point is too have the ball completely burned out mid-way down the lane. If I were a tournament bowler with no knowledge of any conditions I might encounter...I might keep a few abralon pads with me for some on-the-spot surfacing pre-tourney...but ya can't really do a very good job surfacing a ball without a ball spinner.

As to cover material...I've found...again in earlier trials...that the specs are only valid (in terms of ball progression) if you stay within a brand and within a performance level. Yes, you can play with RG, Diff, etc... and put together a decent progression if all the balls are the same manufacturer from the same line-up and same era...but outside of pros and high level amateurs...most people don't continually have the most recent full line of manufacturer's products to work with.

Why? You take lessons from Mark and Missy as well as from me and heaven only knows how many others, and yet you can't figure out how to bowl on the burn. Are you really that afraid of learning to make lateral moves, or are you that afraid of being successful at bowling?

I realize that this is harsh, but I've known you for a long time now, and for the life of me I cannot understand why you are so intent on doing everything you can not to improve. Rant over. Sorry!

Again, I'm not sure I understand the point. It seems like you believe there is an obvious area I need to improve in...it seems to be lateral movement...yet I don't know how else I can explain the limitations with lateral movement that I'm encountering.

I move 2:1 left...bowl okay for awhile...I move 2:1 left...maybe bowl okay, maybe miss right. But if I go 2:1 again...there's almost no way that ball makes it to the pocket. Now, that might be my speed/rev rate not matching that line. Or that might be something else...but continuing to move left when you're missing right...I don't see the point in that.

Now, there IS a legitimate limitation to my arsenal selection...and I'll try to touch on it shortly when I post my recent tournament scores. I think there IS some validity to your criticism of my 3 ball choices...but again, thats only a limitation the 2-3 times a year I either don't have fresh conditions OR I'm bowling a multi-round tournament...which is rarely, rarely, rarely. So, do I buy MORE balls looking for yet another option? Maybe. If I want to really do well in tournaments I think I need a ball with a more aggressive cover/surface than the Reax Pearl and I think I need a long/straight...weak as hell ball for the burn...something like my old Slingshot or a Tropical Breeze. My Loaded Revolver wasn't "bad" in that role...but if I got too much hand in the shot, forget about it.

But, I'm a few days behind in score posting...so, here goes;

[Aslan]

Wednesday League Night: low-oil synthetics, older brunswick lanes

501 Series: 138-209-154

Game 1 was three splits and two missed single-pins. I was journaling my thoughts each frame but the journal got too profane so I stopped. I was about a half game away from just "pulling a Manke" (my phrase for just saying *&$% it and "just going up and throwing the ball" as everyone tells me to do).

Game 2 I switched to the Innovate and did better. Still a split and a chopped multi-pin spare...but other than that, struck well (see recently posted video).

Three more splits and another missed single-pin in Game 3 was about all the "fun" I could handle.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 8.73 pins
Strikes: 42% (2 turkeys, a double, and 6 singles)
Spares: 38% picked up

Single Pin spares: 66% (6/9)
Most common single-pin leave: 10-pin (4x).
Never left a single 1-pin, 3-pin, 5-pin, 7-pin, nor 8-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 11% (1/9)
Most common multi-pin leave: 4-6-7 split (2x)

Splits: 0% (0/7)

Average over 3 games: 167.00.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 177.00.

Not a great pre-Thanksgiving tournament warm-up in terms of bumping up my ego and confidence level...but, 7 splits...WTH am I supposed to do??

[Aslan]

ABT Tournament: Squad 1, Day 2
Older Brunswick synthetics: low-oil Brunswick synthetics

649 Series: 257-183-209

Missed a single 7-pin in the 7th frame of Game 1 to ruin a clean 269.

A missed 2-5 conversion in the 5th frame and a 3-6-7-10 split in the 8th frame slowed me down in Game 2.

In Game 3, I chopped a 3-6 in the opening frame and then chopped a 1-10 washout in the 3rd frame...but struck enough to salvage the 200+ game.

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 9.38 pins
Strikes: 67% (2 5-baggers, 2 turkeys, 2 doubles, and 3 singles)
Spares: 45% picked up

Single Pin spares: 80% (4/5)
Most common single-pin leave: 7-pin (3x).
Also left a single 5-pin and 10-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 16% (1/6)
Most common multi-pin leave: n/a

Splits: 0% (0/1)

Average over 3 games: 216.33.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: 220.33.

Another strong Squad 1 performance. I couldn't win any additional money really, but stayed to bowl another round just so I could try to figure out how to play those lanes once they get burnt up. I knew the cashers round on Sunday would be the 3rd squad...so if I wanted to do well...I needed to figure out the burn.

I used the Reax Pearl in all 3 games...figuring with just the 3 balls, I needed to be extra careful about switching too soon.

[Aslan]

ABT Tournament: Squad 2, Day 2
Older Brunswick synthetics: burnt house shot

652 Series: 220 (clean)-228 (clean)-204

PinPal Stats:
First Ball Average: 9.12 pins
Strikes: 51% (1 5-bagger, 1 4-bagger, 2 doubles, and 4 singles)
Spares: 86% picked up

Single Pin spares: 100% (6/6)
Most common single-pin leave: 10-pin (5x).
Also left a single 4-pin.

Multiple Pin spares: 77% (7/9)
Most common multi-pin leaves: 1-2 and 2-8 (2x each)

Splits: 33% (1/3)

Average over 3 games: 217.33.
Average had I picked up 100% of single pin spare leaves: n/a

I felt good at this point simply because I FINALLY was able to bowl well on the burnt conditions. Finally.

I was throwing the Innovate near the end of Game 3 of the first squad...but didn't like the look in practice, so I switched to the Hammer Scandal Pearl and used that ball the entire 2nd squad.

I think I was making better first shots in the first squad; but I obviously did a great deal better with spares in the second squad. In both squads I was just below the cut line....even though it didn't matter since I already made the cashers round the weekend before. And added benefit...beat a VERY talented young 2-hander in Squad 2. Out of the gate I thought there was no way...a 2-hander that could hit single-pin spares like they weren't nothin. But, like most high rev players...even the younger ones....thats a tough style to keep doing consistently shot after shot and it finally caught up with him.

[fortheloveofbowling]

Nice bowling in the tournament.